New to FreeNAS

[Raughnbo]

Hello, everyone, I am Raughnbo, and I'm new to FreeNAS. In 2015 I built an HTPC with running Kodi and Steam Big Picture Mode on Windows 10 using Tuukka at My Media Experience to guide me.

http://mymediaexperience.com/

Now I would like to build my own FreeNAS box as a home server using Brian Moses DIY NAS: 2016 Edition as a guide.

http://blog.brianmoses.net/2016/02/diy-nas-2016-edition.html

I would like to run a Plex Server, a MediaMonkey server, a Calibre server, and a Minecraft server. I would also like to run CrashPlan, ownCloud.


See you in the forums. Best regards,

~Raughnbo

 

[Spearfoot]

Hello, everyone, I am Raughnbo, and I'm new to FreeNAS. In 2015 I built an HTPC with running Kodi and Steam Big Picture Mode on Windows 10 using Tuukka at My Media Experience to guide me.

http://mymediaexperience.com/

Now I would like to build my own FreeNAS box as a home server using Brian Moses DIY NAS: 2016 Edition as a guide.

http://blog.brianmoses.net/2016/02/diy-nas-2016-edition.html

I would like to run a Plex Server, a MediaMonkey server, a Calibre server, and a Minecraft server. I would also like to run CrashPlan, ownCloud.


See you in the forums. Best regards,

~Raughnbo

Welcome to the forum!

I recommend you do some research here before you make any purchases. That Brian Moses fellow makes some questionable design decisions, in particular:

• He's "confident in using non-ECC RAM" for FreeNAS servers, in contrast to most (all?) of the experts here, who pretty much all agree that that if you value your data, you should use ECC RAM.
  
• He recommends the ASRock C2750 motherboard; several users here have reported problems with this board. Your mileage may vary, of course, but there are other (and cheaper) alternatives.
  
• He recommends a pair of mirrored SSDs for L2ARC (read cache) in a system with only 16GB of RAM. This is counter-productive and may actually impair the server's performance with such a small amount of RAM. The truth is that most users don't need an L2ARC device at all. You should max out the RAM in your system first and only then consider adding an L2ARC if it still performs poorly.

...and there may be more...

But I don't want to scare you off!

FreeNAS is great, and you'll have no problems researching good build advice here on the forum, starting with the Hardware Recommendations Guide.

Good luck!

 

[wblock]

Somebody asked me about that earlier article a while back. It's good to see he is using ECC now.

If possible, I would suggest going with Micro-ATX or even full ATX motherboards. Yes, it's not as small as mini-ITX, but easier to work on. Also gives you a choice of processor. The Supermicro X10SLL-F is a good example.

 

[gpsguy]

Welcome to the forums!

In addition to what Spearfoot said, feel free to post the details of your planned purchases, before you order anything. We've often caught mistakes and we might offer other suggestions.

 

[diedrichg]

I've watched Brian's builds through the years and they have some issues. The 2016 build's case is way too expensive and I personally think a Fractal Design R5 would be a better choice for airflow and cooling

 

[JohnDigital]

First time seeing that article. It is pretty thorough. But at the cost his build gets up to ($1900), granted - this is obviously written up some time ago. I think you can build the machine with verified recommended parts by people in this forum. For fun I mocked THIS up. Add a couple 8gb flash drives and a fan or two. At a pinch under $2100, this machine would go a long, long way. Things can be shaved or added here and there too.

 

[Raughnbo]

Spearfoot, wblock, gpsguy, diedrichg & John Digital,

Thanks, for all your input, it looks like I need to do some more research. I guess I need to slow down and look at some more options.

Spearfoot: I will be looking at the Hardware Recommendations Guide and posting my tentative build before finalizing it. :)

About Brian Moses:

• is now recommending ECC RAM.
• Stated that his choice of using a pair of mirrored SSDs for L2ARC did not yield appreciable results

"...my usage simply don’t justify the addition of these two caches"

wblock: I am looking at Micro-ATX or even full ATX motherboard options I will take a look at he Supermicro X10SLL-F.

gpsguy: I have downloaded the FreeNAS 9.10 manual and have started reading more.

diedrichg: Fractal Design R5 looks nice but I was hoping for a horizontally designed case.

John Digital: I'm taking a look at the build you mocked up.

Thanks again,

~Raughnbo